#if you watch the end of the thomas thorne affair

[natequarter]

thinking about the way bbc ghosts handles repression once again... the captain is your classic case of "six feet in denial, cannot Show Emotions, etcetera etcetera," but basically all the other ghosts bar robin pull the exact same move, just in slightly less blatant ways (except for fanny, who is just as bad as the captain). thomas makes me feel painfully seen: he is six feet in denial (about his death and what people think of him), and he cannot Show Emotions, but because he specifically does not Show Emotions by very blatantly shoving what can't actually allow people to get close to him in other people's faces (whiny, annoying, loud, pathetic, constantly sad but in the shallowest way possible, and sometimes sarcastic), and uses this as both a cover and a desperate cry for help, nobody ever notices that he actually is hurting, to the point that the julian cries more freely than him! julian! seriously!

[ineffablelunatic]

Ghosts watch Hamilton

Thomas made Alison put it on just so he could pretend that he was Hamilton and she was Eliza

However, during What Did I Miss? he starts singing along but correcting it to Thomas THORNE

Robin can do the entirety of Lafayette's rap from Guns and Ships

Cap's favourite song is History Has Its Eyes On You, although he also has a soft spot for Wait For It and It's Quiet Uptown

Julian's favourite song is Say No To This. He says it reminds him of his life.

Thomas gets very upset during all the duel scenes, and has a dramatic moment when Philip dies. He won't admit it but he's crying.

Fanny pretends not to be enjoying it but she listens very closely to all of Angelica's songs

Although Thomas tries to get Alison to sing along to Eliza's lines, it ends up being Kitty who does it. Hijinks ensue.

Humphrey has no idea what's going on because he's on the floor, but he enjoys Wait For It

Afterwards Thomas manages to find the bonus workshop songs. Captain listens to Dear Theodosia Reprise and has to go and take a moment to himself.

Fanny loves First Burn and Congratulations. She says they have "spunk".

She gets very disapproving during Say No To This, though. Not surprised really. If she had pearls she would be clutching them.

During The Reynolds Pamphlet Julian exclaims "Why didn't I think of that?" Alison can't convince him that admitting to his many affairs to get out of a political enquiry would not have been a good idea.

Kitty's favourite character is Peggy, although she also likes Philip. She gets very sad when he dies, and starts sobbing during It's Quiet Uptown.

They all have a bit of a moment during Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story. It's a song that relates to a lot of them, after all.

[genius-species]

What I Read in 2022

I read 88 books in 2022. Mostly romance (37) followed by adult science fiction and fantasy (13).

I also read a vast amount of fan-fiction, but I don’t track fic on my reading list (which I’ve kept as a .txt file on various computers since 2006).

Best Romance:

Husband Material by Alexis Hall - a lot of folks hated the ending of this one. No spoilers, but I adored it. The ending was perfectly in character for Luc and Oliver. I’m really looking forward to Hall’s upcoming 10 Things That Never Happened (which features Jonathan, an mildly unpleasant minor character in Husband Material) which comes out in October 2023.

Evie Dunmore’s historical romances were a new find for me this year, and I liked them a lot. Grumpy men! Spunky women! Hot sex! What’s not to like? The fourth book (about Catriona! My favorite, as she too is deeply introverted and has uncontrollable hair!) has no publication date on Dunmore’s website, but Amazon says it publishes in September.

KD Casey’s baseball romances were also very fun. I’ve long been a fan of Taylor Fitzpatrick’s extended hockey romance universe; I enjoyed athlete romances for a difference sport.

Most Likely to Effect Actual Change in My Life:

400 Friends and No One to Call by Val Walker - everyone who is lonely should read this book. It’s the first self-help book I’ve read that provides concrete advice for expanding your circle of support/socialization.

Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia by Michael Crawley - an anthropologist and 2:20 marathoner goes to Ethopia to study running. Hoping to put lessons from this book into practice in my own running in the coming year.

Honorable mention to Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution by Peter Calms. I’m still thinking about “humanure” and admiring the depth of his commitment.

Recommended:

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - The world-building is superb. Yadriel’s family doesn’t accept him as a brujo because he’s trans. When Yadriel accidentally brings Julian Diaz back from the dead, everybody is going to Learn Something (especially Yadriel’s family). Also (I feel like this is not a spoiler since the book is published by the Swoon Reads imprint) Yadriel and Julian’s romance is delightful.

See No Stranger by Valerie Kaur - Kaur is a Sikh American and an activist and filmmaker. I wish I could have 1/10th the compassion and grace under pressure that she does.

T. Kingfisher - Ursula Vernon is going on my short-ish list of authors who I will read based on name alone, i.e. the “I’d-read-their-grocery-list-writers.” She consistently delights. I adore the Paladins.

Goals for 2023

A more balanced book-diet. I’d like to read more broadly across genres (I read very historical nonfiction this year) and across time (the majority of what I read was published in the 21st century). 

I’d also like to improve my (very rudimentary) Spanish language skills by reading picture books en español.

What did you read this year?

Romance:

Isn't It Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

A Rogue of One's Own by Evie Dunmore

The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan

The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan

After the Wedding by Courtney Milan

The Turner Series (An Enhanced Box Set) by Courtney Milan

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

A Novella Collection by Courtney Milan

Lady Notorious by Theresa Romain

The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

One Dance With a Duke by Tessa Dare

A Sedition Affair by KJ Charles

Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles

Gilded Cage by KJ Charles

The Sugared Game by KJ Charles

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles

Slippery Creatures KJ Charles

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Fire Season by KD Casey

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Unwritten Rules by KD Casey

Selfie by Amy Lane

Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian

The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian

Tommy Cabot Was Here by Cat Sebastian

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

Mr. Malcom's List by Suzanne Allain

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Nonfiction - Self-Help:

Indistractable by Nir Eyal

The Home Edit by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

It's Not You: 27 Wrong Reasons You're Single by Sara Eckel

400 Friends and No One to Call by Val Walker

Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independent Through Simple Living by Elizabeth Willard Thames

Nonfiction - YA

The Radium Girls: Young Readers Edition by Kate Moore

Awesome Ospreys: Fishing Birds of the World by Donna Love and Joyce Mihran Turley

The Puffin Plan: Restoring Seabirds to Egg Rock and Beyond by Stephen W. Kress and Derrick Z. Jackson

Nonfiction - Memoir/Personal Experience/Art

From Field and Forest by Anna Koska

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West

Mergers and Acquisitions by Cate Doty

Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia by Michael Crawley

I Never Thought of It That Way by Monica Guzman

As Simple as That: Collected Essays by Edie Clark

The Maine House by Maura McEvoy, Basha Burwell, and Kathleen Hackett

Best. State. Ever. A Florida Man Defends His Homeland by Dave Barry

See No Stranger by Valerie Kaur

Sci-Fi/Fantasy - YA

Dark Rise by C. S. Pascat

Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Adult

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows

Captive Prince by CS Pascat

Prince's Gambit by CS Pascat

Kings Rising by CS Pascat

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

The Angel of the Crows by Catherine Addison

Provenance by Ann Leckie

Nonfiction - Craft

Craft in the Real World by Michael Salesses

Nonfiction - History

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham

The Women Who Saved the English Countryside by Matthew Kelly

Nonfiction - Science/Environment

Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution by Peter Calms

What If? by Randall Munroe

Science Matters by Robert M. Hazen

Microadventures by Alistair Humphreys

Zero Waste by Shia Su

Expecting Better by Emily Oster

All Things Reconsidered: My Birding Adventures by Roger Tory Peterson, edited by Bill Thompson III

Black and White Styles in Conflict by Thomas Kochman

Mystery

The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Classics/Poetry

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

[shayneysides]

4, 5, 6, & 16 for the Ghosts asks! also, to fit with the other questions, favorite episode from series 3?

4. favourite episode from series 1?

I think probably episode 2 (Gorilla War)? The ghosts trying to drive Alison out is hilarious, and it tells us SO MUCH about who they are, based on their strategies and attitudes towards Alison and Mike. I love watching Alison slowly getting worn down by the ghosts, and I just think that it has some of the most hilarious moments in the season. It's a really well tied together episode, and the writing is just perfect. 10/10 episode

5. fave episode from series 2?

Season 2 is my favorite, so this is a super difficult question- I've thought about it for a while and I literally cannot choose between Redding Weddy (because I'm dumb and gay), The Thomas Thorne Affair (because I'm dumb and sad) and Perfect Day (because I'm dumb, sad, AND gay). The Captain's Story in Redding Weddy breaks my heart, Ben Willbond's acting is so so good in it, and GOD the ending snaps me in half. I also like that it has the first sneak peeks we get into Kitty's life!

Then comes the Thomas Thorne affair: I love the format of the episode, with Thomas's death being told over and over with the different perspectives, and it makes the reveal of the actual cause of his death hit even harder. And since Thomas is so often overdramatic, and trying so hard to seem deep and emotional, seeing true, genuine emotion from him really hurts. It's so well done and so sad and really gives us an idea of another thing that's really horrible about existing as a ghost: no one, maybe not even the ghost, will know what really happened in their death. Isabelle (probably) never got to find out that Thomas was duelling in her honor, or that Francis was the one who really killed Thomas. And it hurts! And I think this episode makes you realize that these characters are dead, and they have been for a long time.

And lastly is Perfect Day! I think it's just a really beautiful story- Clare and Sam are really great characters, even though we only really get to see them in this episode. I love that they explored Mike and Alison's relationship, which is really nice to see: they really do love each other, and the way their arc in the episode parallels Clare and Sam's is beautiful. Fanny's journey of realizing her views are wrong, and that times have changed is amazing to see, because at least for me personally, Fanny reminds me a lot of homophobic people I know in real life and seeing her change, despite it being fictional, gives me so much hope. And Pat having closure with his death makes me cry. It's like in The Thomas Thorne Affair: He's dead, and he has to learn to, well, live with that. It feels like a completion of his arc from Happy Death Day, and it's so well written. It's a rollercoaster of an episode, and is also just visually beautiful? The scene where Pat and Kieth Darren Dean speak outside, where so much of the environment is pure white is so gorgeous, and the lighting in the final dance is so pretty. I love this episode a lot.

6. fave episode overall?

Oh god, how do I choose? I think this answer probably is the same as your question about my favorite S3 episode, and that is Something To Share. Lolly Adefope is absolutely incredible. This is the episode that truly takes Kitty from this fun, optimistic, blissfully ignorant girl to this really complex and nuanced character. Don't get me wrong, I think she was always a really interesting and great character, but this glimpse we get into her past is incredible. Lolly's acting is so, so good- we really get to see Kitty start to come to realize that her past was not perfect, and that her sister- heartbreakingly- did not love her. It gives an explanation as to why she grips so tightly to Alison, and it also shows how much Alison cares about Kitty. And seeing such a cheerful, upbeat character broken down and sobbing, it hurts so much. And it tied is so perfectly to the overarching theme of the show, family, and what really is family. It also tells us so much about the ghosts as a collective: we realize in this episode that the ghosts don't talk about their feelings, they don't open up, they repress everything. This realization that there is so, so much about the ghosts that we don't know, and that they themselves don't know. It opens up so much possibility for the future of the show and the characters. Also, I love the subplot of Mike trying to see the ghosts- it's mostly played for laughs, but I also think it does a lot for his character. It must feel quite isolating to not being able to see these people that mean so much to his wife, and I hope they go more into that aspect of his character in the future. I think that this episode is often only discussed in terms of the Captain, and while I do love his almost coming out, I think that every single element of this episode is so, so good. In my opinion, this is the perfect Ghosts episode!

Sorry, I ended up talking about these way more than I expected (also, my answer to #16 is in the first post from this ask game) but man I love these episodes! Thank you so much for sending this ask!

[freddiekluger]

Do you think that if the ghosts sees period dramas set in their time, it will reignite memories of their life?

i think it definitely depends on the accuracy and style of the drama- if they're too poorly researched, any attempts at reverie would be totally disrupted by the historical and visual inaccuracies (think: thomas yelling about the 'roccoco legs' during the byron shoot). of course the other big thing is setting: it's all well and good to watch to a movie set in your time period, but if it's based in a country you've never been to (especially for the older/less privileged ghosts like mary and robin, who probably didn't have much knowledge of the world outside of their continent when they were alive), it's not going to feel particularly familiar.

working on the assumption that we have at least partial historical and geographical accuracy, here's how i think each of the ghosts would respond to

robin: considering how little we actually know about early human history, i don't think robin would be that fussed by any attempt to put that on film- he'd still appreciate a good caveman joke, although he's not a big fan of how stupid every movie assumes they would have been (it's not like they had omega-3 tablets back then!). robin's unspeakably old, and for the most part he seems to have processed through all the parts of his past that he possibly can, and is now committed to enjoying his time at button house as much as he can (a big part of this is his prankster spirit and frankly underrated friendliness), so it would have to take a lot more than a stone age movie to rake up serious conflict.

mary: given her incredibly traumatic death, mary avoids virtually anything that hints of fire or witchcraft which is where things become difficult. i think mary could really enjoy a film set in her time if it follows a working family not dissimilar to her own- it could help her remember some of the positive things from her life, and probably help her feel a lot more seen as she often ends up misunderstood or ignored by the other ghosts (pat initially dismissing mary's advice about the camera work because he didn't think she properly understood what was happening; the ghosts focusing on correcting her speech more than what she actually says). the problem is, almost all movies set in mary's time that follow people from her class end up focusing on the witch trials, which is a BIG no no for her.

humphrey: i think humphrey could really enjoy watching some tudor set films. like mary, he often gets ignored (and straight up left behind), so watching a period film absolutely gives him the opportunity to feel a bit more seen and stew on those long forgotten memories like post-meal games of cards with friends, or the occasional hunting trip when the king came to visit (the trips themselves were more stressful than anything, but mouthing off about them with the king's entourage after he went to bed was always a highlight). humphrey would definitely have a keen eye for inaccuracies, but i don't think they'd bother him. it's just nice to have things be about him for a change (if by him, we mean having all the ghosts watching something that is vaguely related to his alive-period and actually looking to him with questions instead of just using his head as their personal football/security camera/magic 8ball).

kitty: kitty is one of the ghosts who accesses her memories pretty easily- she has no problem with thinking about her life, even when the anecdotes are screamingly sad to anyone listening. so a period film would naturally bring some memories, but i don't know if they'd be anything radical or new- kitty's real growth and drama would come from her leaving behind the rationalisations of what clearly was severe neglect. actually on that note, while not quite kitty's environment, i think she might get a lot out of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. something about the themes of the loneliness that comes with growing up in high society and only being valued for what your status and your biology can give to your family and your husband (who you likely didn't choose), along with feeling like an outsider and being visibly othered, even by those you outrank, no matter how friendly and approachable and like them you make yourself (while not necessarily linked to the broader themes of familial neglect kitty's character touches on, i think her experiences as a georgian noblewoman of colour would have to have impacted her growing up and also socially- i'd love to hear any thoughts on this from fans of colour, as i'm white and so any theories i could come up with would likely be a poor approximation). and she'd definitely like the pretty dresses and stunning rooms of versailles, and for that i can't blame her.

thomas: most of thomas we sort of got to see in Free Pass- the detail nitpicking, the excitement until a specific trigger from his life (in this case, lord byron, the man thomas considers his greatest enemy, although i’d be curious to know whether byron acually had any idea of thomas thorne’s existence) causes him to go into a full thomas hissy-fit. sure, the emotion is real to him, but he absolutely plays it up, even trying to get humphrey’s body to fetch alison so she can see how ‘upset’ he is (thomas reminds me of a child in this respect).  there’d probably be less of the tantruming for a movie that had already been made, although i’m not so sure about the memory point. The Thomas Thorne Affair sort of brought out thomas’s big Unresolved Life Mystery, and now i think all that’s left for him to work through has got to be a lot more internal. sure, he’d be reminded of a few good old parties, and maybe any romance scenes might trigger some of the sad isabelle/general lost love emotions, but i don’t think they’d be anything particularly spectacular. 

fanny: now fanny would be a real stickler for accuracy. she would be calling out every makeup, decorative, hair, wardrobe, architectural, and lingual failure with the classic lady button judgement in her voice. this is probably half because she can't help herself, but half a measure to distract herself from actually having to pay proper attention and relive her life. i think fanny struggles a lot with no longer running her own household (along with the shifting morals, and fashions, of the modern world), and so to be reminded of everything she can no longer have would be tough. i'm not saying she would long for a time when women didn't have a lot of rights, but she went from a wealthy society woman who held a lot of power in her own sphere to a ghost, unable to touch anything or even be seen by the living (save for the photo glitch), and stuck spending her days with a motley crew of equally frustrating ghosts whom she doesn't always feel respected by (noting that 'respect' to fanny is much the same as deference). she could have it a lot worse, but i think fanny would much prefer to not have to think about her old life.

the captain: the captain is an interesting one. he's one of the few ghosts who actively seeks out media related to his time, although that's within the impersonal war documentary which focuses on facts and mechanics as opposed to day to day realities and feelings. on the one hand, any war film for the captain would be sure to rake up memories of wartime (even if he never made the front- that remains unconfirmed), and the immense grief that comes with watching the people around you slowly stop returning home. the captain is a war fanatic, and has no problem talking about the great battles, victories, and tactics, so i think the heightened emotional states that a film presents would be the key to unlocking the captain's inevitable wartime trauma and going beyond the surface level facts. for that reason, i'd really like the captain to see Peter Weir's Gallipoli. i know it's the wrong war and the wrong country (although the australian's were technically part of the British forces), but i think the overarching themes of the idolisation of the military, the deconstruction of the glory of war, and the intense (bordering on the homoerotic) although never quite realised relationship between Archy and Frank (which, spoiler alert, ends in tragedy), could give the captain a lot in terms of food for thought and unlocking some of those deeper experiences. on the other hand, the captain watching a period film set in the years before his war could be equally interesting- i think they'd play on some his is insecurities and general issues surrounding the difficulty he may have had fitting in with day-to-day life (not just due to his homosexuel répression, but due to his broader issues with fitting in socially which we see through his interactions with both the ghosts and his own forces- some particularly valid fans have used these to headcanon cap as autistic). in short, films would unlock a fair few memories for cap, but even more EMOTIONS.

pat: with pat and julian it gets interesting because while yes, technically any movie set in a non-current time period is a ‘period piece’, you also have to deal with the fact that they’re going to have less impact on their respective ghosts because you also have actual movies from those periods floating around. for this reason, my answers for pat and julian are relatively similar: they wouldnt have any more memories appear than for any film coming from while they were alive. for pat, this means he’d get pretty excited about ones that came from his childhood (pat would be a giant sci fi fan don’t @ me he loves technology), but i think anything that came with too strong a family attachmet, or that he watched in the weeks/months/year leading up to his death might bring out the angry pat we saw in Happy Death Day and Perfect Day. anger is how his inherent death trauma (and the additional loss that comes from the world moving on without you) manifests, so i definitely think that would come out here, even if he isn’t quite able to put his finger on why specific movies make him so angry/irritated. for pat, childhood memories would abound, but the closer we get to his death, there’s less memories but definitely more unresolved emotion.

julian: see my point above about the whole period-film-vs-regular-film thing. julian doesn’t really strike me as a movie person, and i definitely think he wouldn’t give much care to the influx of 80s/90s set british political media (think The Iron Lady etc). in his words, “i don’t really care for politics, and they’re all too busy trying to push their labor propaganda”. he just makes a captain-inspired noise when alison reminds him that he WAS a politician. julian is another character who accesses his memories pretty easily (although they’re usually either horny or at least slightly morally bankrupt), and i honestly find it hard to give a tory emotions so i’m very excited to see how the christmas special manages. julian is a self-centred bloke though, so i think only things that are directly about him could have the power to rake up buried memories and feelings. now i really want to see julian watching a documentary on himself and just getting outraged.

thanks for this one, sorry for the delay!!

[pointnumbersixteen]

My Personal Ranking of Ghosts Episodes and Why

So, here’s my personal order for all the current Ghosts episodes, from best to worst, with a bit of an explanation as to why I think so. I included who wrote each episode because the writing pairs tend to have consistent strengths and weaknesses that affect my enjoyment. These are, of course, just my opinions, and I recognize that different people have different tastes.  

1) Moonah Ston (Larry and Martha)

This episode is hilarious and it continues to be hilarious through multiple viewings (some of the jokes in other episodes start to wear thin after multiple viewings, but this one remains entirely solid through dozens of rewatches). Barclay and Bunny are my favorite guest characters throughout the show. Also some of my all-time favorite bits are in it: Cap stealing Thomas’s role doing the reading, the shooting of the pheasant with Cap, everything to do with Mary and the cooking of the pheasant, the way Alison yeets the pelaverga as soon as it’s handed to her, the juxtaposition of the eclipse ritual and the dinner party, Bunny’s ‘sobriety test.’ Also, there’s a strong A plot and a strong B plot that tie together, and all of the characters are fit into these two plots well, which is something the creators sometimes struggle with.

2) Getting Out (Mat and Jim)

I love everything about the Captain’s portion of the plot and it’s a nice big portion, too. His scene with Kitty is one of my favorite scenes in the show, brilliantly written, well-acted, and gorgeously shot. I can feel for Mike and Alison in it. Fiona’s another really funny guest character. My only major complaint is that the plot with other ghosts after the Captain’s left the group starts to drag after enough re-watches, particularly Thomas’s bad erotica and the jewel scene. I found both very funny on the first several watches, but the payoff to both is ruined with enough rewatches. With the first, the payoff is with how surprisingly bad for a ‘professional’ writer his story is, but after you’re well aware that Thomas is a bad writer, it’s just listening to bad writing over and over again. And the bit with Fanny’s jewel has such a long lead up, to get to the surprise payoff that the jewel was secretly pawned by George forever ago, but once you know the jewel is gone, the long lead up gets progressively more tedious with every watch. At least for me.

3) Reddy Weddy (Ben and Simon)

I’ve written extensively about this one before, so I won’t include much, but: I love everything having to do with the Captain in this one, particularly the completely wonderful flashbacks with Havers. Mike and Alison were very well done, and I enjoyed Martin as a guest character. But I really didn’t like the whose-turn-is-it-to-pick-the-movie subplot, it just seemed sort of unnecessary to me and detracted from the tone of the rest of it. I assume they just had trouble finding a better integrated role for Pat, Thomas and Julian, which, as I said under Moonah Ston, is an occasional weakness the creators had.

4) Gorilla War (Larry)

I love Cap’s campaign of attrition. And his singing. Everyone had solid, funny bits, all tied into one main plot in it. Mike and Alison are both well done in this episode. It’s the first episode where Alison is able to interact with the ghosts and I think they did a great job capitalizing on her coming to terms with it and Mike’s such a supportive husband in it.  

5) About Last Night (Mat and Jim)

I love the spat between Cap and Pat in this one, because the focus of their subplot is their relationship dynamic and I enjoy their relationship dynamic- even though it’s close to the breaking point in this instance, all is well because they make up in the end. Everything about the state of the house and trying to remember what happened to it-as well as the flashbacks to the party- is pretty funny. The bits with Dante were very funny as well. The Robin-Mary subplot was a bit meh for me, but I didn’t dislike it, I’m just not sold on the idea. I didn’t enjoy Mike being sidelined on the roof for most of the episode when Alison needed his help and all the criticism he got from the other characters for not being around to help Alison, though.

6) Who Do You Think You Are? (Mat and Jim)

This is a really strong introductory episode with some good, funny bits in it, but it doesn’t rank higher since the ghosts can’t interact with Alison yet and Mike and Alison don’t know they’re there, which is where a lot of the fun of the concept of the show comes in to me.

7) Bump in the Night (Larry and Martha)              

The robbers were funny as were the ghosts’ utterly inept attempts (save Robin) in stopping them. I loved music club, particularly the Captain’s performance. I appreciated the return of Barclay and his bitches. Humphrey was actually reasonably included in the plot, which is always a nice change. There weren’t any bits I found particularly outstanding (except maybe Cap’s musical performance) but there weren’t any major bits I disliked, either. Everyone’s included in one main plot and it continues to be just as enjoyable on rewatches.

8) The Thomas Thorne Affair (Mat and Jim)

I greatly enjoy examine-the-story-from-multiple-viewpoints-to-illustrate-unreliable-narration plots, so that went well in this episode. I also really like regency romances, so this ticked another box for me. Humphrey was given an important bit again, which I appreciate. The bit about Francis was a nice twist at the end, because otherwise it would have been a bit too predictable, with Thomas being shot in a duel over a romantic misunderstanding- that was the most obvious solution to his death, after all. It felt a bit contrived, though, that the characters who died after Thomas all went to the group meeting on time, while the characters who witnessed Thomas’s death were all still wandering around upstairs and just happen to wander into Alison’s room in time to contradict the last telling of the story and provide the next. And of course, the fact that half the cast is just sort of sitting downstairs waiting for a significant portion of the episode always seemed a bit lacking to me. Also, Mike starts the episode being unusually stupid (not knowing Elizabeth II is the current queen- at least in the US, not being able to answer who the current President is frequently used as shorthand for ‘having brain damage’) and spends the rest of it being insecure about Alison’s ex (this seems to be a Mat and Jim thing).  

9) Perfect Day (Mat and Jim)

I loved all the Cap bits in this. Pat’s plotline was good, too. Humphrey actually had a substantial role, which I appreciated, and more so since he actually managed to bring Fanny around to the gay wedding. I was of course thrilled that it was a lesbian wedding. But I’m not a fan of ‘miscommunication causes drama’ plots in any medium and I disliked how once again how insecure Mike is in this episode (Mat and Jim again) and how poorly he handles it.

10) Happy Death Day (Ben)

I love all the Pat bits. I liked the interactions between the Captain and Julian, they had a really enjoyable dynamic in this one, although they’re being rather disappointing human beings in their plotline. I like Kitty’s plotline, too, and the garden scene between her and Fanny is very funny and beautifully framed. I don’t think this episode did a particularly good job with either Mike or Alison, though. Mike ditches his probably still concussed wife who is plagued by ghosts to manage the building work he started because he’s spending hours a day out of the house because there are too many people in it and he’s apparently potty-shy and Alison thinks trying to convince people to do probably thousands, if not more, pounds worth of free labor by making them tea is both a plausible idea and an appropriate thing to even try (it’s bad enough when the people asking you to do free work for them are actually your friends, contriving a friendship in order to do this just sort of seems a bit contemptible to me). Some of the jokes get less funny with time- Fanny with the butt cracks, for instance. I considered the Thomas subplot another weak ‘well, something needs to be done with this character’ subplot and I can’t even remember off the top of my head what Mary was doing most of the episode despite having seen it at least a dozen times, besides the bit where Alison throws the teacup at her head (and if I were Terry, I would have called it quits then).  

11) The Ghost of Christmas (Ben and Simon)

Mostly fluff, and a decent amount of it was rather predictable fluff, but I’ve written more on that elsewhere. Mike’s sisters were the worst. I was hoping Ben would write himself a bigger role and he didn’t. In the Bleak Midwinter was gorgeous, though, and there were enough smaller bits that I found endearing to prop it up over the next two.

12) The Grey Lady (Larry and Martha)

I enjoy the ghosts’ routine as shown at the beginning of the episode. I found Pat’s radio show amusing. I liked the basement scene with Nigel. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Captain’s ‘stretching’ subplot (although I do greatly enjoy his  ‘for king and country’ running), it just seemed a bit silly to me, like they couldn’t decide what to do with him for most of the episode, so went with ‘eh, squats, I guess.’ Also, I feel like they had trouble placing Mary and Kitty, too. Mary spends a lot of the episode staring at a wall and Kitty spends all of it just following the group and occasionally wailing about the ‘ghost-ghost.’ Also, I think Alison went a little too far with her simulated haunting when she dressed up as the Grey Lady; it wasn’t smart because there was no way she was going to get away with it after anyone turned on the lights and it seems a bit more like attempting to defraud people than the rest of it did.

13) Free Pass (Mat and Jim)

Alison actively puts people in danger for money, misrepresenting the house as structurally sound in order to get a movie contract, when in fact the floors are held up by hope and happy thoughts and could (and eventually do) cave at any moment. If the floor had fallen through in the letter scene, before Mike braced it, when they were using the heavy equipment, there likely would have been serious injuries. Also: Toby Nightingale is the worst. Also: the solidity and supportive nature of Mike and Alison’s relationship is the best part of it and I dislike the choice (Mat and Jim again) to make him so insecure in this episode (this was the first in the episode order to do so).

To speak on general tendencies, though: I’m not a fan of doing morally questionable things for monetary reasons unless the situation is life or death, so all of the episodes where that’s Alison’s primary purpose get major demerits from me. That’s a matter of personal taste, but there I am. As for the writers (I recognize they all come up with the general story arcs together, but the writing pairs are responsible for execution), everyone struggles a bit sometimes to get solid roles for everyone into the plot, to be expected when the cast is so large, but some instances are worse than others. I think Larry’s (well, Larry/Martha for most of them, but they’ve both joked that mostly she drinks and he writes when they’re working on their episodes) still the strongest writer in terms of having mostly cohesive plots that standup consistently as solid to multiple viewings, but he also has the most experience as a writer, so that’s probably to be expected. Ben and Simon have both stated that they like jig-sawing a bunch of little plots together to make an episode, and while it is a bit impressive that they can make episodes with like, nearly as many plotlines as characters come together to make one reasonably sane episode, I find this strategy detrimental in that to me, when they do this, there’s always one or two plots that are really, really good, a few plots that are pretty good, and then one or two plots that I just don’t enjoy, that to me drag down the rest of the episode (most apparent in Reddy Weddy, but it happens to some degree in all of their episodes). My major criticism of Mat and Jim is with the way they write Mike. I actually really like Mike when he’s well done, but his portrayal seems to vary a lot between episodes, and (with the exception of Ben’s Happy Death Day, but his problems in that one are different) the episodes he’s written the weakest in are all written by Mat and Jim. They’re the only ones who I think write Mike as insecure in his relationship with Alison and his most incompetent and/or useless moments also tend to be written by them. I don’t know if they have a slightly different concept of Mike’s character than the other four or what, but I think Larry/Martha and Ben/Simon’s portrayals of him tend to be significantly more flattering.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hello, I hope I'm not bothering you, but do you have any good "enemies to lovers" recs, may they be books or movies?

I neeeever am bothered by people asking for recommendations.  Those are my favorite asks because I am nothing if not in love with my own opinions, lol

Books

Obviously, The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn, the best Bridgerton book, because I’ve been blogging about it lol.  If you haven’t read it, it’s basically “rake tries to seduce the beauty of the ton, beauty’s older sister cockblocks him, he realizes that He Is Into It” 

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is a classic.  Very light and fluffy contemporary, two people who’ve always hated each other begin competing for the same job and fall in love.

Kate Quinn’s Mistress of Rome series is a saga and the initial big ship of the first book (which you do have to read lol) is not enemies to lovers.  However, the NEXT ship which dominates the last two books of the series (which is four books long, and tbh... I recommend the second book but it’s a prequel and can be skipped technically) is SOOOOOOO GOOD.  It’s really “childhood friends to young lovers to SEVERE ENEMIES still secretly in love” and it’s literally epic lol.  Essentially, the series is set in Ancient Rome and Sabina (very bitchy Roman noblewoman) and Vix (child of a former gladiator, soldier) are friends who I think lose their virginities to each other?  And are in love as kids.  But then she fucks him over and marries the emperor.  Who he actually begins to loyally serve!  But he haaaates Sabina because she.... constantly backstabs him lol.  But he also looooves Sabina and gets off on everything she does.  And she wants him so badly.  And it is delicious.  And I live for it.

Both of the Evie Dunmore books I’ve read, Bringing Down the Duke and especially A Rogue of One’s Own are very enemies to lovers.  In Bringing Down the Duke it’s a bluestocking versus a duke who for political reasons is her enemy.  In A Rogue of One’s Own it’s another bluestocking versus a rake who has known her basically all their lives.  They have to begin working together and fall in looove.

Sarah MacLean LIVES for this trope lol.  Her first true enemies to lovers was Twelve Scandals to Start to Win An Earl’s Heart, in which the heroine is a scandalous young woman and the hero is a duke determined to avoid scandal--and he rebuffed her before the book began, so they hate each other.  But he also has a massive boner around her, of course. 

My favorite MacLean book, A Rogue By Another Name is another “childhood friends turn enemies to lovers”.  The leads, Penelope and Bourne (last name lol) were best friends as kid and he basically fell off after life set in.  Her family now has hold of his ancestral lands, and Bourne essentially blackmails Penelope into marrying him so that he can get those lands, after which she DESPISES him even though they had..... extremely great sex lol.  It’s SUPER GOOD, and it involves borderline voyeurism, which is great.

Then No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is very enemies to lovers.  The heroine was set to become the hero’s stepmother--then he woke up covered in blood with her missing. He then finds out, after years of being despised by society as a presumed murderer, that she is very much alive with a fake identity lol.  It’s WILD.

The Rogue Not Taken is an enemies to lovers roadtrip romance.  The heroine thinks the hero is a horrid rake who purposefully ruins marriages.  He thinks she’s a stuck up brat.  They end up journeying together and he eats her out in a moving carriage.

Theeen there’s Daring and the Duke.  The hero literally thought the heroine was dead (MacLean loves this) and is OBSESSED with her, but she hates him because the man who raised them both basically pitted them against each other after their days of being childhood sweethearts.  It’s very dark and delicious, and there are blow jobs!  Blow jobs don’t happen enough in romances, especially historical romances.  More BJs!  They are fun!

If you’re interested in a dark and BONKERS romance, Desperate Measures by Katee Robert is a retelling of Disney’s Aladdin about a modern Jafar and Jasmine getting together after he takes over her father’s criminal empire.  It’s definitely extremely explicit and a bit fucked up.  The book comes with content warnings; the first sex scene is dubcon.  (Like you’re reading from her perspective and she WANTS IT but she says no.)

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a cute contemporary in which the hero is a literary author and the heroine is a romance novelist.  They find themselves in neighboring beach houses and basically challenge each other to write in the other person’s genre.  Very light enemies to lovers.

A Heart of Blood and Ashes is a fantasy romance by Milla Vane!  Essentially, the hero’s parents were killed by the heroine’s father and he’s out to kill her father and overtake his throne.  Luckily, she’s on board.  But he needs to marry her in order to accomplish his goals.  They do not trust each other whatsoever and torment one another a lot.  For context, within the first fifty pages she gives him a handjob while her hand is covered in her own brother’s blood (and yes, he did kill her brother).  It’s great.

The Worst Best Man is about a wedding planner who suddenly finds herself needing to work with her ex-fiance’s brother... who she holds responsible for her fiance leaving her at the altar.  Very fun and sexy contemporary.

The entire Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa.  In each book, the heroine falls in love with a literal embodiment of one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who is here to bring the end of the world.  VERY heavy enemies to lovers.  Kinda dark at times?  Kinda fucked up at times?  I love it a lot?  It begins with Pestilence; War and Famine have already been released, but Death has not.

From Lukov with Love by Marina Zapata.  It’s a figure skating romance; a down on her luck skater pairs up with a male skater who is extremely successful, and who she’s known for years and hated.  Verrrrry slow burn, but fun.

Movies

The Proposal, of course, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.  You’ve probably seen this, but the setup is that she’s his evil boss, he’s her assistant, and she’s about to lose her visa so she bribes him into marrying her so that she can get citizenship.  But ruh-roh, they have to go to Alaska for his family reunion and he’s also got a great body and is like, an Alaskan Rockefeller?  

Obviously, Clueless which is enemies to lovers by way of former stepsiblings, and also by way of the only valid retelling of Emma.  Emma itself is not enemies to lovers, really, but Clueless amps that aspect up a bit.

If you want a super tragic version, warning lol--House of Flying Daggers.  It’s a wuxia movie, so melodramatic to the max.  She’s a blind daughter of the leader of a vigilante group, he’s a soldier who’s gone undercover to follow her to their stronghold.  Many reveals and one of my favorite dramatic love stories ensues.

Princess Diaries 2, duh.  Baby Chris Pine?  Anne Hathaway?  PLEASE BITCH.

365 DNI.  If you haven’t watched yet, watch it and thank me later.  The greatest cinematic contribution of the last decade.

Down with Love.  It’s a delightful take on like, 50s/60s sex comedies in which the heroine writes a book that convinces women to ignore love and men, which makes the hero look bad and makes it difficult for him to get laid.  So he sets out to basically.....  wear a different persona?  And seduce her?  It is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and I adore it.  Renee Zellweger and Ewan Macgregor have great chemistry in it too.

The Thomas Crown Affair, starring extremely hot Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo.  She’s an insurance investigator, he’s a billionaire who basically is suspected of stealing priceless works of art because he’s bored.  She investigates him and immediately begins fucking him.  Has a scene where she dances with him while wearing a completely transparent dress.  Then they fuck everywhere in his house.  I have never wanted to be between two people more.

The Painted Veil.  A socialite marries a dorky scientist for convenience, then cheats on him.  He finds out and basically forces her to go to China with him, where he is fighting the cholera epidemic, as an extremely long and petty murder suicide attempt.  But they get to know each other!  And the ice begins to melt!  Warning: tragic but lovely.

Casino Royale YES I SAID THAT.  The James Bond reboot movie that explains why he’s such a whore!!!  HE WAS BROKEN!!!  Basically James Bond is not like... a learned man... in this movie.  So he’s a cocky bastard and the Bond girl is impossibly sexy Eva Green as Vesper, who’s the “money man” on his mission.  They begin as bickering assholes and then fall in love.  But also!  Tragedy!

The animated Anastasia movie is one of the finest enemies to lovers movies of any time, I will defend this forever

Anyway....  Hope this gives you some ideas!  Lol

[multiversecarnavep]

Her role in Harvey Dent's past was updated into the currently prominent Two-Face origin: Batman Annual #14 (1990), a story called "Eye of the Beholder."[9] In this story, it is revealed that Dent's father was an abusive alcoholic who would nightly play a game with his young son: "I'll flip a coin: if it's heads, I beat you. Tails, I don't." Dent spends a lifetime burying his rage and resentment, only to discover that the coin was two-headed all along. While Dent is torn between loving and resenting his father, Gilda clearly despises him; she scoffs that after a lifetime of abuse and cruelty, the only thing Dent's father ever gave him was a coin.

Gilda tries to comfort Dent as his sanity deteriorates. She pleads with him when, upon awakening from a nightmare, he races out of their bed in the middle of the night and goes to his office, "where it's safe". After Harvey is disfigured, Gilda visits him in the hospital to try to give him back the coin. It was in his pocket during the trial, and was also hit by some acid, scarring one side of the coin. She last appears in this story right after Two-Face murders his corrupt former assistant, Adrian Fields, tearfully explaining Dent's abuse history to Batman.

Gilda does not reappear until Secret Origins Special # 1,[10] where she (here named Grace) appears on a TV talk show focusing on Gotham's villains. She talks about a time when one of the criminals Dent put away as D.A. returned for revenge by taking her hostage. Two-Face eventually rescued her, beating the ex-con to the point of death, but holding off because Grace demanded he stop. This represents a rare case where Two-Face is not influenced by the coin, but rather by someone else's welfare. She tries once again to appeal to his "good" side, but fails. At the end of the interview, she professes her belief that, one day, Dent would return to her.

Gilda returns in Batman: Two-Face Strikes Twice.[11] Here, she finds herself at odds with her now-ex-husband, as he believes their marriage failed because he was unable to give her children. She later marries Paul Janus, a reference to the Roman god of doors who had two faces, one facing forward, the other backward. Two-Face attempts to frame Janus as a criminal by kidnapping him and replacing him with a stand-in, whom Two-Face "disfigures" with makeup to make it look as if Janus has gone insane just as Two-Face had. Two-Face is eventually caught by Batman and sent away, and Gilda and Janus reunite. Years later, Gilda gives birth to twins named James and Luke, prompting Two-Face to escape once more and take the twins hostage, as he erroneously believes them to be conceived by Janus using an experimental fertility drug. The end of the book reveals a surprise twist; Batman learns from Gilda that Janus is not the father of Gilda's twins - Dent is. Some of his sperm had been frozen after a death threat had been made against him, and she used some of it to get pregnant. Batman uses this information to convince Dent to free the twins and turn himself in.[12]

Post-Zero HourEdit



Gilda Dent destroying incriminating evidence against her husband Harvey Dent in Batman: The Long Halloween. Art by Tim Sale.

After the events of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, Gilda's entire history has been revised. She has a larger role and story arc in The Long Halloween,[13] a maxi-series that is part of Two-Face's origin in Batman Annual #14. During the nearly year-long story, a serial killer called Holiday systematically murders prominent gangsters. During the series, Gilda's marriage to Dent shows signs of strain; she wants to settle down and start a family, while he is obsessed with capturing Holiday. In a private monologue at the end, Gilda states that she was the original Holiday killer, having committed all of the murders up until New Year's Eve. Gilda indicates that Dent murdered Alberto Falcone on New Year's Eve, taking her place, and that he was the one responsible for the crimes from that point on. The confession is only known to readers, since Alberto confessed to all the Holiday murders upon his capture. Gilda destroys the evidence of her crimes and leaves Gotham City.

Due to the success of The Long Halloween, the events of the story have generally been accepted into continuity as the "official" story of Batman's early years, given that Zero Hour retconned the events of Batman: Year Two and rendered them non-canonical. In Batman: Dark Victory, the Calendar Man is about to reveal Holiday's true identity, but an enraged Two-Face cuts him off.

In Greg Rucka's novelization of Batman: No Man's Land, Dent thinks that Gilda is dead.

Post Infinite CrisisEdit

In the "One Year Later" story arc Batman: Face the Face, Dent mentions Gilda when recalling his past life, but the Two-Face persona states "No, Harvey. She's gone now".

During Dick Grayson's tenure as Batman, she appears standing over a wounded Harvey Dent. The Riddler reveals that she faked her death and was institutionalized following The Long Halloween, where she met Mario Falcone, who suffered a similar breakdown following the event of Dark Victory. After getting involved upon their release, Falcone kept Gilda like a prisoner, and she conspired with the Riddler to steal Two-Face's coin and entice him to rescue her. Knowing that Falcone was on Dent's tail, Gilda faked Harvey's death by appearing to shoot him at point-blank range. When they were finally reunited, she explained how much she missed him, and that she now believed in Two-Face as well as Harvey Dent. Feeling betrayed and manipulated, Two-Face tried to kill her, but hesitated, only to be stopped by Batman. To save Harvey, she shot Batman with a .22, knocking him out and allowing them both to escape. Her ultimate fate remains unknown, and Dick even expressed doubt that she was in fact the real Gilda Dent.[14]

New 52Edit

In the New 52 reboot, Gilda is a socialite that Bruce Wayne introduces to Harvey at a graduation party. She is killed in front of Harvey by Erin McKillen.

Other versionsEdit

FlashpointEdit

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Harvey Dent has a wife and twin children. When the Joker kidnaps Dent's children, Mrs. Dent is emotional while her husband asks Thomas Wayne (the Batman of this timeline) for help in their search.[15]

In other mediaEdit

FilmEdit

A Victorian era version of Gilda appears briefly, without dialogue, in the animated adaptation of Gotham by Gaslight.

Gilda appears in the two part animated film Batman: The Long Halloween, voiced by Julie Nathanson.[16] In this version of events, Gilda takes the blame as the Holiday Killer, motivated by her anger at the Falcones after she had a past relationship with Alberto that ended with Falcone ending the marriage and forcing Gilda to get an abortion of her and Alberto's child.

TelevisionEdit

A character analogous to Gilda, Grace Lamont, appeared in Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Murphy Cross. In the episode "Two-Face", she is D.A. Harvey Dent's fiancée. Alongside Dent's best friend Bruce Wayne, she watches helplessly as Dent loses his grip on sanity while going after gangster Rupert Thorne. After Dent is disfigured and becomes Two-Face, Thorne plots to use Grace against his new rival. A couple of Thorne's men disguise themselves as police officers and offer Grace a handheld tracking device, in case Two-Face ever approaches her. Two-Face eventually does, bringing her to his lair and wearing a scarf to cover his scars. She nearly succeeds in persuading Two-Face to reform, when Thorne's men show up, revealing that Grace inadvertently betrayed him. Nevertheless, Grace helps Batman and Two-Face fight off Thorne's men, and remains by his side as he is taken into custody with Thorne.

MiscellaneousEdit

Grace returned to animated continuity in the comic series The Batman and Robin Adventures issues # 1 and # 2, where the Joker manipulates Two-Face into thinking that Grace and Bruce are having an affair.[17] Two-Face abducts her and tries to kill Robin, but is ultimately thwarted when Grace jabs the jagged edge of the scarred coin into the disfigured side of his face. The story ends with the implication that their relationship is now damaged beyond repair.

Grace appears again in The Batman and Robin Adventures issue #22, in which Two-Face's life is thrown into chaos when he loses his coin during an unplanned breakout from Arkham Asylum, and is forced to replace it with a quarter. Little Jonni Infantino, the mastermind behind the breakout, threatens to hurt Grace if Two-Face doesn't provide information on one of Rupert Thorne's thugs, Weird Tony Hendra, whom Two-Face prosecuted as Harvey Dent.

[heytheredeann]

i love your love for black sails bc those are literally the only writers that i trust ever

No, okay, listen

I started watching Black Sails out of curiosity for the pirates aesthetic, basically. I wasn’t that sure about it, wasn’t sure it would be my thing, but I was curious. Also, I was still very much suffering because Once Upon A Time brutally betrayed me (I say, pretending that I am not still suffering), so I was kinda okay with diving into something that wasn’t likely to make me feel too many emotions (LOL joke’s on me). 

The only spoiler that I had about the show was remembering that someone I follow once said that ‘nobody is straight in Black Sails’. Only I didn’t know it was a spoiler, because I thought she meant it in a ‘there are a lot of guys with deep friendships and gay subtext’ way. 

I didn’t think she was serious

So I started watching this, and I was weirdly captivated: Silver was a little shit and I loved him, Max and Eleanor had my heart, I had a crush on Anne Bonny, I felt this weird love for Flint even though I was not sure why…

Throughout all this, I developed a ‘gay conspiracy theory’, as I called it. Flint and Miranda kept referring to this ‘him’ that they had in common, which I assumed was her husband, and I was like “LOL wouldn’t it be fun if the affair was actually between Flint and the husband and then he and Miranda fell together in their grief when he died?” 

I wasn’t serious. At all.

I mean, I thought that if we ever got flashbacks (which I was hoping for) James and Thomas would be best buddies who longingly stare into each other’s eyes and then get tragically thorn apart by their passion for the same woman and yet somehow manage to maintain tons of gay subtext. Truth be told, I was even a little preemptively annoyed, because I usually don’t like it when friendships are torn apart by the two guys Wanting The Same Woman.

Anyway, I kept watching, sometimes things happened that made me go “LOL I stand by my gay conspiracy theory”, like when Flint went for the forehead kiss with Eleanor, who obviously thought Something Else was going to happen, but I still wasn’t at all serious. 

Fast forward to 2x05. 

In one scene (I think it was one of the first flashbacks of the episode) we got Thomas being all casual about his wife sleeping with his friend, which already blew a giant hole in the official cover story about him going mad with grief over the betrayal, and Miranda talking about people possibly discovering Something Far More Damaging Than That. 

Obviously my head immediately went to the gay and it stayed there. 

But I didn’t want it to stay there, okay?

I spent literally the whole episode watching as the whole thing got gayer and gayer, and I was DESPERATELY looking for SOMETHING to explain why they were being so dramatic about James’ crimes that WASN’T ‘He was fucking Thomas’, I deliberately ignored James’ tone when he said ‘Our affair?’ (as in ‘You and me? But I was sleeping with him! Obviously!’, nope, didn’t hear that, n o p e), etc.

BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO BELIEVE OKAY

I was getting way too excited and I needed to find a way to level my expectations because there was No Way the writers from any show would give me something like this, so I had to Calm The Hell Down and find the Logical Explanation that undoubtedly was there somewhere, even if my little gay head couldn’t see it

Then Thomas and James kissed right there in front of my eyes, I exploded, turned into a rainbow, and pledged my allegiance to Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine for as long as I shall live.

The end.

[beeblackburn]

Ghosts for the fandom ask as well! 👀

The first character I ever fell in love with: Thomas Thorne. “Ah, she’s gone” remains one hell of a delightful line delivery. And his following melodrama was just amazing to sit through. I love dramatic™ bitches.

A character that I used to love/like, but now do not: I... honestly don’t know? Like, I generally like every character in this series and that’s not particularly a small feat. I suppose if I had to choose... the Captain or Mike, and only because I’ve come to realize their later more self-centered/forcible moments were there from the get-go, from the Captain’s complaining about Fanny’s screaming and Mike taking out a loan without talking about it with Alison while she was in a coma, not necessarily because I dislike them.

A ship that I used to love/like, but now do not: Ummm, none! I generally agree with the ships in this series. 

My ultimate favorite character™: Thomas Thorne, he usually guarantees a laugh with any line reading, he looks good, he usually holds back before his crush on Alison gets too creepy, The Thomas Thorne Affair and Free Pass helps explain his more romantic tendencies and the former genuinely floored me with some of its twists and that last revelation broke my damn heart. Poor Isabelle and Thomas. They lost so much because the first Lord Button was a selfish arse. And I adore that Thomas was the first one who sung along In the Bleak Midwinter with Alison. I hope all the best for him.

Prettiest character: Kitty or Thomas. Kitty’s more my type, and I love her dress, but Thomas has those floofy locks to die for.

My most hated character: FUCK LORD BUTTON THE FIRST WITH A MUSKET BALL. That being said, I don’t come out of the Christmas Special respecting Mike’s sisters. And, depending on how Kitty’s backstory goes, her sister’s set to replace Lord Button the First. Honestly, I feel like I come out of this series hating cousins and sisters.

My OTP: Mike/Alison. Aside from some hiccups, Mike’s genuinely supportive and follows Alison’s lead and Alison grounds Mike’s eccentrics or flights of fear. They’re not friction-less, but they feel lived-in, have little jokes with each other, and are a couple who love each other and work through their problems.

My NOTP: Yeah, still none.

Favorite episode: Man, there’s a spoil of riches in Season 2 alone, but I keep revisiting Happy Death Day, Getting Out, About Last Night, Redding Weddy, The Thomas Thorne Affair, and Bump in the Night. If I had to narrow it down... The Thomas Thorne Affair, Bump in the Night or The Ghost of Christmas all vie for favorite.

The Thomas Thorne Affair is the best flashback episode Ghosts got, given it’s got a ton of narrative room to breathe around the death in question (I love Redding Weddy, but I wanted more scenes between the Captain and Lieutenant Havers), allowing for multiple perspectives to see the death, and I love how many holes get plugged up by POVs like Kitty’s or get misdirected off-track like Robin’s or get made into a more interesting imaginary scenario like the Captain’s (real talk, his take never fails to make me laugh, bless you, Captain). It’s all hilarious (that bird getting shot by Thomas’ gun as he falls is my second-guiltiest laugh of the series) but it also speaks to a very real idea of our memories: that we edit, we revise, we look back with nostalgia or clean up the messier bits. Add in the twists and the Mike subplot and it all adds up to a tragic tale whose theme is about how another man’s utter selfishness is capable of destroying a relationship between two lovers through violence, either directly or by proxy. It’s delightfully hilarious, but it hits so hard and Thomas’ words about the truth making it all worse twists my heart.

I feel Bump in the Night is the funniest episode Ghosts’ got. It’s not particularly serious, there are no real stakes, given one of the burglars is terrible at theft, it’s just a bunch of total morons fumbling through a breaking-and-entering and it’s amazing. Fanny complaining that the burglars are terrible at theft, the Ghosts calling for 999, only to not think through how to communicate, them trying to communicate with Mike via a creepy doll’s eyelids, Alison immediately realizing Mike’s in the wardrobe, Julian writing “2 of them” instead of 2 like a non-dumbass, MIKE IN THE SUIT OF ARMOR, it’s all amazingly funny, but at the same time, it’s all underlined by the emotional truth that Alison, Mike, and the Ghosts have come far enough that the Ghosts are willing to help them out because they like them, instead of scaring them off or causing problems like in Season 1. Alison verbalizes it, but the more touching scene is how she thanks Robin, the Ghost that first scared her because he had nothing better to do, for getting Barclay to help them and he just nods humbly back. This episode is full of idiots, but it’s got a decent amount of heart in it that gives it weight beyond the laughs.

The Ghost of Christmas probably has one of my favorite theses on why we endure the holidays with our families, despite it never being as magical as can be. There’s stuff to nitpick like how I don’t like how Mike’s sisters delight in Mike throwing a fit, going so far to film it, and some of Julian’s scenes with the baby run a bit long for my taste, but I really do like Julian’s summation of Christmas: that it’s perfect because it’s not perfect and that we should be grateful of any time we spend with family, because it will all go away someday, as the ghosts can testify. We take the good with the bad. There are some delightful humor bits like the Ghosts needling the Captain and Thomas to join in on Twister, Fanny looking up at the tall tree from the seeds they planted, Mike’s dad having a chainsaw, and Julian waving off his daughter being a MP of the Green Party (screw you, Julian, she rules because of that), but there’s also the theme of family in the emotional scene. When Mike’s dad tells him they’re overbearing because someday they won’t get to do things for him, there’s a heartwarming irony that, even past death, the Ghosts are there for Alison, their newest family member. This episode made me realize just how... barren Alison’s biological family connections are from the first episode’s mentioning that there were no other direct relatives. And In the Bleak Midwinter is a gorgeous song that cuts as a certain truth: just because others can’t see your family doesn’t make them any less real to you. 

Saddest death: Thomas dying all alone at the tree, no one living by his side, feeling the sting of being rejected one final time at the end because his cousin was a selfish arse who capitalized on a woman he didn’t love for her estate? God, this bears repeating, but fuck Lord Button the First.

Favorite season: Oh, definitely Season 2. I love Season 1, but I’m not a huge fan of second-hand embarrassment and seeing Alison get embarrassed by her reacting to ghosts that others can’t see made me wince quite a few times. I much prefer Season 2′s handling of Alison and the Ghosts and how they work.

Least favorite season: Season 1. I don’t take to the more second-hand embarrassment humor of that season, but I do love every episode except Free Pass. It’s still a great season with episodes like Happy Death Day, Moonah Ston, and Getting Out. Special mention to Happy Death Day, which was the first time I realized Ghosts could balance the comedy and the darkness with sincere emotion without them undercutting each other at the wrong time.

Character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: Now? Not really. In the first season though, I sometimes found Kitty a little too grating, possessive, and intrusive. Not that I don’t get where she’s coming from, her childhood sounds lonely and painful in ways she doesn’t fully comprehend and ghosthood hasn’t exactly made her any less lonely in some ways, most times I understand, but sometimes, like at the start of Getting Out where I feel she really should pump the brakes. 

That being said, her backstory’s gonna break me. I just know it.

My ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: Fanny or the Captain. They really can be abrasive or domineering in that first season, the Captain steamrolling over Pat from time to time and Lady Fanny’s nitpicking and homophobia, but I do get why they are that way and they do get better.

My ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: Kitty, who deserves all the blankets for that childhood. Mary, who likely has a mental illness and got burnt because of that. Humphrey, who doesn’t deserve being ignored by the Ghosts.

My ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: Thomas/Alison. Thomas, sometimes, your behavior can get a little too much regarding Alison. That first (thankfully only) peep at her in the shower, I know you’ve been frustrated for years as a Ghost, but noooooooo. That being said, when Thomas respects her boundaries and is a supportive friend (have I mentioned how touching In the Bleak Midwinter is?), I dig them.

My ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: Pat/Cap. Not that I don’t get it, and it promises heartwarming feels and heartbreak (Pat moving on after they hook up and Captain having to watch another leave him again, but this time, Captain got to admit his feelings before the leaving) and they are rather adorable together, but I’m more waiting for the narrative to acknowledge the possibility before launching myself into the ship full-time.

[toomanyfandomsneverenoughtime]

Asks time! 15, 24, 36 for Thomas, 38 ⭐️

Thank you!! 💖💖

15. If you could go back in time and live in the house/on the property at the same time as one of the ghosts when they were alive, who would you pick?

I actually think I'd go back to the 90's, I wouldn't want to live too far back without all the modcons and I'd like to see how/why Julian ended up there.

24. Which lesser-seen characters would you like to see more of in future series?

I'd quite like to see more of the Ghosts' family members, either more of Pat's son/grandchild or maybe even Julian's wife/daughter. I'd just love watching them watch over their living relatives with like a lovely poignant smile on their faces.

36. Favourite Thomas moment?

Ooo, it's a very tiny, very strange moment to pick but it's basically how he looks before duelling in The Thomas Thorne Affair, just before Francis comes over with his gun and tells him '20 paces'. It's a lovely bit of acting from Mat and you can sort of feel the nerves and I think it's show 2/3 times and each time, it's a little bit more heartbreaking but it's such a minute part and so powerful (to me anyway!)

38. It's your turn to pick a movie for film club! What are you watching?

Back to the Future!! It's my favourite movie and it's got a little bit of something for everyone in it, I think. Bit of romance for Thomas and Kitty, Pat and Julian would love the 80's nostalgia, time travel would fascinate Robin!! I feel like Cap would quite like the DeLorean? And Fanny.... well... she'll just have to put up with it...

[natequarter]

15 and 16 for the oc ask game :D

15: How does your OC interact with the canon narrative? What about it do they change?

i'm going to do this for a couple of ocs, because some of them interact very directly and some of them intentionally have no impact:

clarence (based off one of the ghosts named by robin in gone gone) was a gardener at button house during the 1860s (roughly; i can't be arsed to do the maths). he doesn't have much impact on the canon timeline, but it is notable that it was because of george button that he died: george dared him to skate on the lake and, well, it cracked. whoops! cue george quietly walking away from the lake, whistling faux-innocently. he's good mates with robin, but not for very long, and as such is more or less forgotten as time goes by.

my ghosts in france are pretty much as distanced from the canon narrative as is possible; sophie is the only link to button house, and even then it's still pretty tenuous. they're aware of her connection to humphrey, but that's about it; i have a whole gag about how marius and estienne barely even know that england exists at all. it's safe to say that they change nothing about the canon narrative, lol.

arthur de bohun is i think my only canon divergent oc - he's humphrey and sophie's kid from something i'm writing - and he's more or less just the result if 'but what if humphrey... was happy?' (and 'what if humphrey and sophie... loved each other?' very important questions being asked here.) he primarily changes humphrey's life - in this timeline the bone plot never happens, so the ownership of button house passes neatly down to arthur and for about half a century things actually do end up happily ever after, at least until the civil war hits. anyway, what you need to know about arthur is that he's a dog person, and very moody as a teenager, and in 1605 he visits london to watch macbeth, because i just realised that he would be the right age to do that, and i love macbeth. oh, and he speaks both english and french from a young age, so there are points when he's a toddler where humphrey is attempting to play with him and he points at something in french and humphrey's just like, 'what???'

16: What aspect(s) of the universe's lore are they connected to? Do they change/add lore to the universe?

more clarence, because he fits these questions well:

based on the younger ghosts' reactions to annie in the thomas thorne affair, i have clarence as the last ghost to be sucked off at button house until mary. i don't think the captain, pat, or julian are really used to the idea of older ghosts or ghosts getting sucked off; clarence moves on a few years after fanny dies (it's all a bit full circle for him) after, and i'm quite proud of this one, 'only a taste of fanny.'

a couple of my ocs are (loosely) linked to how robin got the name robin: diuset (a celtic leader) dislikes robin, and only really connects to him, on the grounds of nature, and as such (long, long before the word robin was even used for the bird) at one point compares him to the actual bird. william de beaumont (a cringefail norman knight and would-be crusader) suggests the name robin (itself a diminutive of the norman name robert) to robin, but it doesn't initially stick and when william moves on c. 1590 robin forgets about it for a while, because it hurts. neither of them are the ones who give him the name, though.

i have quite a few ocs linked to humphrey's ancestry: his father, nicholas, and more importantly his grandfather, edmund, who is the one to be given button house (then called something else, but hopefully not bone house, because that sounds like a brothel) by henry vii. also, he's left-handed, which is obviously very important.

ownership speedrun: elizabeth's (another of those gone gone ghosts) family own button house prior to the de bohuns; before the 1300s, i headcanon that there was another house in place of the village, this time owned by the happily married but honestly rather useless geoffrey and his wife matilda (c. 1150s - this is quite a bit back); even further back, in the late 1000s (after the norman conquest), it's owned by william de beaumont. and back before 1066, it's just a village.

i mention all this because my ocs are mostly connected to button house and robin's backstory, before anything else - and if they're not connected to robin, they're connected to humphrey and sophie, because, well, i have priorities.

(link)

[orionwhispers]

Tommy’s Girl ♡

(A/N - This is some kind of random pointless drabble that formed after a weird dream type thing I had, basically Michael pining over his cousins girl. It’s probably terrible but I enjoyed writing it, sorry for my absence and DLM will be coming soon, love you guys!!!)

No matter how many cigarettes he smoked, how many fancy suits adorned his skin or the number of shots he downed at the Garrison, Michael had once been Henry, a country boy who rode his bay mare through rolling fields, tended to the vegetable patch and played football with his friends until the apricot sun settled behind the trees. He knew he was destined for a life beyond the country and Birmingham was a chance for an escape and a new beginning, but that didn't stop him from finding solace in something that reminded him of the familiarity and comfort of his upbringing, and that was you, his cousin Tommy’s young wife.

He tried to put on a brave front, but meeting Polly was hard. Abandoning everything he knew for a life in the gloomy streets of Birmingham, immersing himself in the illegal and dangerous business that followed the Shelby family like a black cloud. He admired and respected his cousins immensely, and as much as he longed for the adrenaline and power that came with the Blinders, he couldn’t help feeling like a goldfish amongst Great Whites. That was part of the reason why he became so close to you.

You were soft spoken and kind, but more than capable of holding your own in a family meeting, discussing business as if it was second nature, but maintaining calm and collected against the rivalling voices. He could easily admit that at first he was confused by you, only a handful of years his senior and married to the toughest Gang Leader in England, petite and pretty, like a rose growing amongst a vine of thorns. He soon realised he had deeply underestimated you, knowing to never mistake your kindness for weakness, and quickly learning how you had the ruthless Thomas Shelby wrapped around your finger.

Out of everyone, he found you the easiest to confide in, appreciating your unbiased nature and honest humour, knowing better than anyone the hardships that came with the Shelby’s. Whenever the Blinders had business that an overprotective Tommy or Polly wouldn’t allow either of you to attend, it wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to drink tea in the garden, laughing and sharing stories under the stars.

At first, Polly was delighted. Overjoyed that her son had found someone to confide in, no matter how hard she tried she knew that after all these years things wouldn’t immediately slot back into place, it would take time and patience. Secretly, she was glad he had chosen you to talk to, you and Polly were very close, and she trusted you with her son completely. She knew that the brothers had good intentions, but she believed you were a much better influence. As they days passed into weeks and her beloved son began to settle into the family business and open up more, she started to notice a change.

It started off small. Subtle glances from across the room, the hint of a smile whenever your name was brought up in conversation, lingering touches as you passed him a glass full of whisky that mirrored the deep blush on the apples of his cheeks. She wasn’t even sure he knew he was doing it, that unconscious kind of ‘puppy love’ that swept you up out of the blue, she was sure he just liked the attention of a pretty girl, your sweet soul able to make any man weak at the knees, but she knew that it was solely one sided and it made her heart ache. She so badly wanted to tell him to stop, that you were beyond enamoured with your husband, never once glancing at another man in that way, but she had just got him back and she was terrified that any kind of words of warning would push him away.

The night of the bar fight with Isaiah, adrenaline coursing through his freshly battered body, his cousins set the rival pub alight and he slunk through the darkness towards your house. 

“It was insane, I’ve never felt anything like it.”

His words tore through the night as you shook your head with reluctant laughter, wiping antiseptic across the cut on his jaw, apologising as he winced at the stinging pain.

“Your mother is going to go bloody mental.”

He shook his head, sparking a new cigarette as you raised a brow at his fresh habit, rolling your eyes and soaking a cotton round in alcohol.

“She’ll be alright.”

You took his head between your palms, inspecting the wounds with curious and careful eyes, completely oblivious to the shocks your touch sent through his skin. You tutted at the flaming lavender bruise forming beneath his eye, careful not to irritate his injuries you met his line of sight.

“You really have to start taking care of yourself, Michael.”

A few hours later, he returned to his mothers house, opening the door as quietly as he could muster but, to no surprise Polly was already curled up in one of the plush armchairs, anxiously awaiting her son’s return. Her first instinct was to question him, especially as she noticed the crimson marks darkening on his face, but most startling to her was the shy secret smile on the edge of his cut lips. It didn’t take her long to put two and two together as she saw the faint reminder of antiseptic cream on his skin, and her overprotective mothering words got caught in her throat, knowing exactly where her son had been. She pulled a faux smile onto her mouth, greeting him as she rang the bell for the maid to make a cup of tea, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. She knew Tommy loved his cousin and herself, but she wasn’t sure how much longer Tom would accept his lovestruck behaviour, when it came to you, Tommy was ruthless.

The business with Campbell and Sabini was occupying most of Tommy’s thoughts, and he had spent the past week or so travelling from Birmingham to London, dealing with whatever situation arose next. As his car bounced along the country roads, as always, his thoughts trailed back to you, thanking God that he had survived another day - and was able to go home to the woman he adored.

Tommy was not oblivious to Michaels infatuation, finding the teens admiration amusing at first. He knew just how easy it was to be enamoured by you, knowing the allure that radiated off your body was just as sweet as the perfume that lingered on your neck. In fact, he found it rather ego boosting, feeding the over possessive side in him as he knew that in a room full of people you would always go to him, and he felt self assured in the fact that the most beautiful girl in the whole of England was safely hanging off his arm.

That didn’t mean that he would ever let it go out of hand, he allowed the glances and sly smiles, the inside jokes and occasional hand brushing when Michael handed you paperwork, but in the end his dominant side always took over. An arm slung around your waist in ownership, his hand covering yours at family dinners, sly teasing kisses over your neck and collarbone at nights in the Garrison. You would always laugh and blush at the affection, knowing how Tommy could get, relishing in the attention, because to you, nothing was out of the ordinary.

The secret competition between the cousins was bubbling like a pot left on high heat, unbeknownst to you. Nobody would admit what was happening, leaving them to their own devices, there were more important things to deal with than their childish game. Neither would ever confirm their thoughts, Tommy remaining the cool and composed Alpha and Michael pretending not to notice his heart clenching as you broke into a wide smile whenever you saw your husband, bliss and unclouded adoration radiating off you.

The high that came with being a newly anointed Peaky Blinder was unmatched to any drug, and the excitement and thrill of the business meant that Michael was temporarily immune to the nagging doubt in his stomach. He had managed to convince himself that the feelings he had for you stemmed from pure friendship, he knew you thought of him as a younger brother and he continually drilled that statement into his head. That didn’t stop him however from spending as much time as possible with you.

With Tommy refusing to allow you to get involved with the current affairs over fears for your safety you spent the majority of your free time with Michael and Isaiah, forming a three musketeers type group, laughing and roaming the city streets like children. Mornings were spent in the crook of his office, perched on the edge of his desk and teasing him, throwing wads of paper from across the room. You’d bound into the Garrison, buying a round to celebrate his first successful week as the official accountant, clinking the glasses together and relishing in the mutual happiness that surrounded you all. All very mundane things, but he couldn’t swallow the thought that seeing you was his favourite part of the day.

Watching you announce yourself as you opened the door of his office, faking irritation as you rifled through his papers, watching the light bounce of your features as you tilted your head, breaking into peals of laughter. Curled up in the armchair in the living room, jotting down numbers, tongue between your lips, slowly meeting his gaze with a sleepy smile, hair messy and tousled. Your nose crinkling and eyes shining as you chuckled at Isaiah’s crude humour, snorting and coughing on your drink as he reached the punchline. It was those moments of solitude that he allowed his mind to wander. He could imagine that the two of you were in a different situation, no ties to the Shelby family, just two friends cherishing each others company. He could imagine how different life would be, imagining all your smiles and kind words were directed and devoted to him solely, rather than your gangster Husband who would most likely pistol whip him for the thoughts that filled his brain.

Reality would always hit though, as the night faded to an ebony black and you drained the last of your glasses, hiccuping from the long gulps of alcohol you had downed. Tendrils of hair failing from your up-do, your drunken eyes matching the glow of the twilight. Isaiah would roll his eyes, holding you close as he lifted up your giggling frame, gesturing to Michael for support.

“C’mon, let’s get you home. I don’t really feel like getting shot by Tommy, he almost had my balls last time and we were only five minutes later than promised!”

He’d plaster on a fake smile as Tommy opened the door, watching as the gangster rolled his ocean eyes with faux annoyance as you clambered into his arms, mumbling drunkly. He’d thank the teens, giving his cousin a small look that contained unspoken communication as he wrapped a strong arm around your shoulder, unable to contain the adoration he held for you in your intoxicated state. He’d return home, climb into bed, thankful for the ambush of sleep that would clear his mind, and the day would restart.

He knew he couldn’t tell you how he really felt and it made him feel sick when he realised that you would never feel the same. He couldn’t help the tug of his heart or the hitch in his breath when he saw you, the envy swimming in his stomach when you kissed Tommy with head spinning passion, but he was trying. Above everything he was grateful for your friendship, still trusting you with his darkest secrets and personal fears, thankful that his hidden feelings hadn’t ruined the bond that you two shared. In a room full of beautiful women his eyes always trailed to you first, watching you captivate everyone around you with just your presence, illuminating the room like a beacon of light. He knew how happy you were though, and that feeling overpowered the others in his mind.

He watched the deadly Thomas Shelby turn from a pit bull into a kitten around you, that kind of dopey love that would usually twist his stomach into a sea of nausea. He was glad you were happy, it radiated and flowed through you every time you were with your husband and despite his inner turmoil, he was glad. One day, perhaps he would find a girl he would love like that, blurring his mind and vision. He would get over you though, fall in love, get married and be happy, but you would always be the first girl that properly broke his heart.

[thatfanficstuff]

Danny - Thomas Shelby

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader; Danny Owens x Sister!Reader

Warnings: depictions of PTSD, abuse

Your half-brother Danny hadn't been the same since the war. That sounded so cliché. Isn't that what everyone said about their loved ones when they came home? And it was true. War changed everyone. But your brother...

You weren’t certain what happened to him, what he had seen, and you weren’t about to ask him. Whatever it was had driven him crazy. God, you hated that word and everything it entailed. If you’d known…if you’d had any idea, you would have locked him up for his own good.

It was common for him to have episodes where he didn't know where he was or what he was doing. He would shout at enemies that weren't there and attack anything or anyone that got in his way. His wife Rosie had grown so scared of what was happening that she asked you to move in with them. "Just for a while," she'd said. You knew then you should have said no, made her get him some help, but you couldn’t.

Danny was your big brother. He didn’t care about the differences between the two of you. Didn’t care that you were the product of an affair between his father and your mother. Danny had always been there for you and this was your chance to repay him. But it had been so much longer than a while. You barely remembered what your apartment looked like anymore.

You intervened when you could, steering Danny out of the house and away from Rosie and the boys. Usually when he was having one of his episodes, you could guide him to a quiet area and calm him down. Usually. This was not one of those times. No, this was one of the times you were going to end up sore and bruised. As predicted, Danny screamed and shoved you aside as you tried to calm him. He darted past you and down the street.

"Shit." You sighed and hurried behind him, cursing again when he burst through the doors of the Garrison. "Damn it, Danny."

By the time you caught up to your brother, he was face down on the floor being held by Thomas Shelby and Freddie Thorne. Thank God. Tommy and you had been friends for ages and Tommy was good to Danny. They'd served together and he'd taken to looking after Danny since they returned. When they got him to his feet, he was back to himself. Danny's eyes were sad as they met yours. "I did it again, didn't I?" Shame colored his words.

You nodded and a single tear slipped from your eye before you could stop it. You hastily wiped it away. Tommy knew enough of your business without you crying in front of him. Danny moved past you to walk out the door. He stopped you when you moved to follow. "Give me a minute, yeah?" he asked. 

"Sure, Danny," you said, knowing it was unlikely he would have two episodes that close together. Besides, you were tired. Keeping tabs on him was exhausting. Hiding that fact from him was even more so. Sometimes you wondered if it would have been better for everyone if he’d never come home. Then you hated yourself for having the thought. For feeling relief at the thought. God, you were a horrible human being.

You watched him walk away then turned to find Tommy standing right behind you. You gave him a sad, crooked smile. "Sorry for the trouble, Shelby." Sorrow was heavy in your voice. "He got away from me."

He pursed his lips and looked you over. "It's all right, love. Can I buy you a drink?"

Nothing in the world sounded sweeter at that moment. "Yes, please." You tried not to sound too eager but was fairly certain you’d failed.

He led the way to the bar and you hopped up on the stool next to him. While he ordered the drinks, you discretely dug into your coin purse. Pulling out every cent you had, you slid it across the bar to Harry. "For the damage." Your cheeks heated in embarrassment. Danny couldn't help it, but that didn't change what others thought of him. You heard every whisper and saw every dirty look. “I know it won’t cover everything, but I’ll get you the rest as soon as I can.”

Tommy put his hand on top of yours, pinning the money beneath. “I thought you lost your job,” he said quietly, those blue eyes of his piercing into you.

You had. Danny had come by your work and had an episode. You’d been dismissed on the spot. Not wanting to explain all that, you simply nodded. Tommy pulled your hand back across the bar. "Keep your money. Send the bill to the Blinders, Harry. We'll cover it."

You took a sip of your drink. "Thank you, Tommy. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

“You don’t have to repay me. I just told you we’ll take care of it.” Irritation hung heavy on his words.

You shook your head. “I’m not talking about the money. I’m talking about everything else. Most everyone’s given up on him. Thank you for sticking around.”

He studied you in silence for a long moment. "You don't owe me anything. Just keep doing what you're doing, love. He needs you."

Danny was having another of his bad days. Physically, he may have been on the street with you, but his mind was stuck in the war. You needed to get him calmed down and home as soon as possible. You steered him toward an empty table along the side of the road. Once you got him to sit, you squatted in front of him so you could see his eyes. Placing your hands on his knees, you called his name. 

"Look at me, Danny. See me." There it was, that small spark of recognition deep in his eyes. He was starting to come back to you.

"Hey, get out of here we're closed," a harsh voice said and you jerked your head in that direction to find the shop keeper trying to shoo you away. Part of you was tempted to invoke Tommy’s name like a prayer against evil but you wouldn’t dare without his permission.  

Instead, you played pathetic female. "Please, sir, he's ill. Just give us a moment and we'll be out of your way." You turned your attention back to Danny only to find you’d lost him again. His attention was focused on the shopkeeper now, completely ignoring you.

Before you could register what was happening, pain exploded from your cheek, radiating through your head. You were knocked on your ass and it took a moment for you to realize Danny had hit you to get you out of the way. This was the first time he’d hit you outright. Usually it was a shove or a hard grip. And he’d hit you hard. You could already feel the skin growing tight as your face swelled.

Danny dived for the man and your stomach dropped as you realized he’d stabbed the shopkeeper. 

"Oh, Danny," you whispered as your heart broke. You couldn’t save him from this. Not even Tommy could fix this. Danny had gone too far and he’d have to face the consequences. His terrified eyes met yours before he took off, fleeing the scene of his crime. 

You scrambled to your feet ignoring the throbbing in your cheek. You headed directly for the Shelby house. You pounded on the door and waited anxiously for someone to answer. If Tommy wasn't home, they could at least tell you where to find him. The door opened, Polly's welcoming smile fading when she saw your face. She grabbed your arm to pull you into the house and steered you to a chair at the table. Other members of the family hovered round but you didn't see Tommy.

“Bloody Hell,” Arthur mumbled. “Tommy’s going to be right pissed.”

"Thank you, Arthur. That is incredibly helpful,” Polly said with a scowl. Arthur held up his hands and backed out of the room. John leaned against the wall chewing on a toothpick and looking you over while Ada fretted nearby. “Oh, for…will one of you make yourself useful and fetch Tommy, please?” Polly barked and the room cleared.

Ada jumped to obey, hurrying out the door. Polly got a bowl of water and rag to clean your face. It was then you realized the skin must have split where Danny hit you. You cleared your throat. "How bad is it?" 

Polly stopped to look at you. "It could be worse, but Arthur was right. Tommy won’t be happy."

"You say that like he usually is," you teased, earning a smirk from the other woman.

She soaked the rag in cool water and held it against the side of your face. You closed your eyes and enjoyed the soothing sensation of the cold against the wound. The door slammed open and you jumped at the noise. Your eyes locked on Tommy's crystal blue gaze as he stepped forward. Polly moved back to give him room and he squatted in front of you, much as you had done to Danny earlier. 

His hand laid over the top of yours. "Let me see, love," he said, his voice soft. 

You moved the cloth away from your face. Tommy's eyes narrowed as his thumb ran gently over the bruised skin. Suddenly his other hand slammed down on the table and you jumped. "Sorry. Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you. What happened? Was it Danny?"

You glanced around the room only to realize that you were alone. "He was having a bad day, Tommy. He didn't mean it. There was this shopkeeper and—" You stopped talking when he pressed two fingers against your lips. 

Amusement flickered in his eyes. "I want to hear this, love, but you need to slow down. I'm not going to hurt Danny, okay? I know he can't help it. I just need to know what happened."

You took a breath and started again. "He was having an episode. I was trying to calm him down when the shopkeeper interrupted. Danny hit me so he could get past to the other man. He stabbed him, Tommy."

"Shit," he breathed. 

Tears ran down your cheeks. You’d failed. You were supposed to take care of him and you’d failed.

Tommy cupped your face in his hands and wiped your tears away with his thumbs. "Oh, sweetheart, don't cry. I'll figure something out, okay?"

"Okay, Tommy." You had complete faith in the man before you. 

His gaze stayed locked on you for a long moment then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. Your stomach flipped. You were surprised but didn't hesitate to return the kiss. You’d been a little bit in love with Tommy Shelby since the first day you saw him. 

He pulled away and kissed your forehead before standing and taking your hand in his. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you home."

You were sitting with Rosie two days later when word came that your brother was dead. And that Tommy had seen to it. Your chest grew tight and you struggled to breathe as tears flooded your eyes. No. He said he'd figure something out. He kissed you. He couldn't make you fall in love with him, kiss you and then kill your brother. Danny was the only blood family you had left. You sucked in a breath as you tried to keep from hyperventilating. What kind of sadistic bastard would kill Danny?

Tommy Shelby, that's who. You jumped up from the table, leaving Rosie in the hands of the friend that had delivered the news. You hurried through the streets, looking for a Shelby, any Shelby. Just your luck, you found the one you actually wanted to see. 

Running up to him, you pounded your fists against his chest. He wrapped his hands around your wrists and held you to him as he looked down in surprise. He must have seen on your face that you knew what he’d done. "Not a word. Not one word until we're off the street."

You didn't answer as you clenched your teeth and glared at him. He kept a tight hold and pulled you down the street. When you came to a stop, you blinked in surprise as you realized you were in front of your apartment. You hadn’t been willing to give up your apartment despite spending most of your time at Danny’s house. It would have felt like you were giving up. Not that it mattered now.

"Where's your key?" Tommy bit out. 

You pulled the chain from the inside of your dress and unlocked the door. He steered you inside then slammed the door behind you. He released you. "All right, love. Let me have it." 

You slammed your hands into his chest again and again, shoving him against the wall. "You murdered my brother, you bastard. You told me you wouldn't hurt him. You said you understood. You said you'd figure it out." Angry, disappointed tears ran down your face. This hurt so bad. Your heart was broken not only because your brother was dead but because you loved the man that killed him. You hit him again. "Damn it, Shelby. I loved you, I trusted you."

He grabbed your wrists then, holding your hands out to the side to stop your assault. "What did you say?"

"I trusted you."

"No. Before that," he demanded, those piercing eyes boring into yours. You simply glared back, not wanting to give him what he wanted. "Damn it. Danny's not dead. Now what did you say?"

Your brother wasn't dead? But..."Explain please."

"It was a trick, a ruse to satisfy the Italians' need for revenge and teach your brother he's got to learn to control himself."

You stumbled back in shock and Tommy released you. "Danny's alive. Thank Christ. I never would have forgiven you for that, Tommy."

"I am well aware of that," he said with a lifted brow. He took a step toward you, a predatory glint in his eye. "Now. What. did. you. say?"

You closed the space between you. Placing your hands gently on his chest, you looked up at him. "I said I love you, Thomas Shelby." You no sooner said the words than his lips crashed into yours.

[moviegeekandproud-blog]

Aside from going to the movies as much as possible I do love a chill night in with good ol’ Netflix. With the ENDLESS amount of content on the streaming service, Netflix also loves putting out their own original movies and T.V. In between my trips to the theatre I just so happened to be able to catch a movie here and there throughout the year and like last year, here are the list of movies l watched with a brief review of how they turned out in no particular order.

Okja 

picture via pinterest

picture via slashfilm.com

Starring Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano

An exceptional adventure of a little girl named Mija risking everything to rescue her best friend, a remarkable animal named Okja from a multi-national company. I found this movie to be exciting, fantastical, and touching friendship story with a satirizing message regarding the food industry. With comic and over the top performances from everyone involved including Jake Gyllenhaal, you will fall in love with the lovable Okja.

3 ½ out of 5

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

picture via imdb.com

picture via mistfts.com

Starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood

This dark comedy involving a woman whose home was burglarized and gets inspired to find the people who did it with the help of an eccentric and obnoxious neighbor. As they dig deeper they get entangled in a much bigger situation they are clearly not prepared to handle. This movie is not bad. I liked the wit of the script. Since it is a comedy, there are a lot of bumbling criminals running around the movie but I think the self help the depressed lead is going through is interesting enough to keep it realistic and a little relatable to anyone who feels like they get shit on every day and just can’t get a break. Check this out if you feel like something indie to watch. A comedy with a bit of substance.

3 out of 5

Naked

andcompany.com

picture via consequenceofsound.net

Starring Marlon Wayans and Regina Hall

With no explanation given at all, Marlon Wayans plays a man who happens to be caught in a time loop repeating the day of his wedding to his fiancé. Not only that, he wakes up completely naked. Only he remembers his previous day and must find a way to make it to his wedding and marry the woman he loves. The concept is nothing new you haven’t seen before and unfortunately, the hijinks were a bit too silly to be taken seriously. Yes, it is a comedy but it has to be funny and somewhat real even for comedy sake. No real interesting characters. Marlon is charming but he was given a horrible script to work with. Its an okay watch but once it is over you will forget you watched it.

2 out of 5

Little Evil

picture via imdb.com

picture via hypable.com

Starring Adam Scott and Evangeline Lilly

A horror comedy spoof of The Omen a man marries a woman with a 6-year-old son of her own. Typical modern family except that he believes the is might be the antichrist. I love the concept and Owen Atlas who plays the devil’s child is great in it as the brooding evil incarnate. Evangeline is funny as the naïve mother unaware of her son’s true destiny. Packed full of other known standup comedians and T.V. actors this has a bit of humor that keeps you engage but as the movie progresses it gets way too silly and a little boring. This is one I think can be scrolled pass but if you like the actors associated, give it a shot.  What do you have to lose? Your soul?

1 ½ out of 5

Take the 10

picture via imdb.com

picture via imdb.com

Starring Josh Peck and Tony Revolori

A comedy involving two friends who plan to make a big change in their life has to tie up loose ends when a drug deal goes bad. All taking place in one day, this movie is told in interwoven shorts from the perspective of a different character each time covering the same 24 hours. This movie would actually be worth recommending but the characters are not likable at all. In fact, one of them is just a straight up asshole who is too narcissistic for his own good. The Y generation may find this enjoyable and relatable as well as anyone who lives or knows southern California well to understand the joke within the title. It wasn’t boring just not a great movie.

3 out of 5

iBoy

picture via imdb.com

picture via inuth.com

Starring Bill Milner and Maisie Williams

Trying to capture on the superhero fad, a young boy is given the ability to control anything technological. Of course, no superhero with powers are created without a tragedy. He gets these abilities because pieces of his cellphone were implemented into his brain after being shot in the head while on the phone. Discovering his new gifts, he uses them to save his crush and take back the neighborhood that is being controlled by a mobster and his goons. This idea is about as bonkers as it sounds. It actually attempts to try and be a serious authentic crime drama. The acting is par and the movie isn’t slow. The way he uses his abilities is creative but this story is a stretch to be taken seriously. For you Game of Throne fans out there that want to see Arya Stark out of her war garment then check this out, otherwise, this is a movie you don’t need to see.

2 out of 5

#realityhigh

picture via imdb.com

picture via dailydot.com

Starring Nesta Cooper and Keith Powers

Combine the color and upbeat acting of Disney and the updated and modern teen experience of Freeform and you got yourself a high school comedy. This one involves a high-achieving high school girl who is supposedly someone who isn’t beautiful to get the man of her dreams because she wears glasses witnesses her crush dating someone who is the center of a reality tv show that follows her around. Through certain circumstances she is drawn into the world of being popular and getting everything, she wants but also risking losing the very thing she didn’t believe she had the whole time. I actually enjoyed watching this teen flick. All the characters were very likable, they all had brains and had a voice and it seemed that everyone got their fair share of screen time. I actually see this show being a great series. At the end of the day it is a cheesy teen flick that makes millenials look like technologic narcissistic zombies. If they decide to do more of these following up what happens next, I wouldn’t object. Honestly, if you watch the trailer and have interest in watching it, check it out.

4 out of 5

You Get Me

picture via imdb.com

picture via netflix.com

Starring Bella Thorne and Halston Sage

A thriller in the same vain as A Fatal Attraction, Swimfan, and anything involving a love affair turned deadly. Bella Throne is the new Glenn Close in this teen suspense movie when she has a one-night stand with a man who recently broke up with his long-time girlfriend. After a weekend of sex and cuddles, he tries to get back with his girlfriend realizing what he lost and she decides that he is the new love of her life and will destroy anyone that gets in her way. This movie was a little cheesy as some of the actions carried out seemed to unreal to be carried out. I don’t really feel sorry for the victim or protagonist of the movie. These movies tend to bug me sometimes with the idea that a woman can’t go without a man. Just think if this movie was Twilight and Stewart’s Bella went all postal in addition to her obsession with Edward. If you are a fan of Bella Thorne, check this out. If not, this is the same ol’ same ol’ tale.

2 out of 5

1922

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via basementrejects.com

Starring Thomas Jane and Molly Parker

The Stephen King adaptation of his novel 1922 sees a prideful father and farmer who is having financial troubles keeping his farm afloat. His wife wants to sell but he is to proud to give it up. Convincing his son to participate, they plot to kill his wife to make sure they can keep the farm. The outcome is far more than they would imagine. Paranoia, deceiving, and ghostly visions and dreams plague the father and son who try and keep up the charade that their mother just disappeared. Haunted by their crime the movie gives off a thrilling ride to possible insanity. This movie is more drama than horror and more depressing then suspenseful. Doesn’t mean this movie wasn’t good but just know that this movie may not be what you think it is. If you want to see a gut-wrenching story and the desperation of what one man would do to keep his livelihood, you may enjoy this film.

3 out of 5.

The Babysitter

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via bloodydisgusting.com

Starring Samara Weaving and Judah Lewis

This horror comedy is one of the best horror films in 2017. It is silly in a McG sort of way but has a lot of heart in it. This movie has everything: cults, bullies, spiders, shirtless hot guy, blood sacrifices, deflating implants all wrapped up in a big bow with McG’s signature stamp on it. That can only mean you are in for a bizarre, twisted, and funny flick mixed with some jump scares, some cool kills and the laws of gravity are thrown away because it’s McG. I love the cast and they played likable characters. This will make you laugh and there is a lot of blood. I think the script is clever and the friendship between the babysitter and her charge is the best part. A slow start in the beginning but once it happens it doesn’t stop.

4 ½ out of 5

Gerald’s Game

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via fhm.com

Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood

An adapted Stephen King novel adapted for screen was one of the best ideas in 2017. I have never heard of this novel before and it is terrifying to watch. What a well done film with suburb acting from Carla Gugino who is at a cabin with her husband trying to spice up their relationship but due to unfortunate events she is put through the most brutal mental test to find out if she has what it takes to survive. This was a gut-wrenching edge of your seat one woman show. It will have you spooked, bewildered, and any other intense feeling you can think of. I highly recommend this film and towards the end you will witness one of the most painful look away scenes of 2017.

5 out of 5

If you would like to read a full review of What Happened to Monday and Death Note, click here and here.

There are more to be seen and eventually I will get to more. Which Netflix movies did you watch in 2017? Comment below with your favorites and ones that were just the worse. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you at the movies.

title photo provided by vancouvereconomic.com

Netflix Original Movies 2017 Aside from going to the movies as much as possible I do love a chill night in with good ol’ Netflix.

[londontheatre]

Jasper William Cartwright, Mj Lee, Dylan Morris, Angelina Chudi (from L – R) Photo: Lily Vetch, lilyvetch.com

The Female Gaze and Other Stories (Volume 1) at The Cockpit Theatre, produced by Rich Creative (Annabelle Rich and Emily Warren).

A night that oozed buzz and class, from the pro-quality teaser video to the queue for return tickets, the writing, and performances; linked vignettes exploring female sexuality through women’s eyes.

First was ‘The Curious Case of Millicent Marz’ (writer Frances Knox in wellingtons and tiara), wry observations on coming of age, the panache of a stand-up comic aided by an absurdly cast Aphrodite, Abe Buckoke, who also directed. Directed by Will Jeffs, the emotional unavailability of the millennial male was shrewdly observed, and well played by Jasper William Cartwright, in Madelaine Holt’s ‘The Wrong Idea’, a man terrified by fear of commitment, and overwhelmed by the maturity and poise of the classy Annabelle Rich.

Matthew Gardner’s ‘Fantasy’ paired’ Alexander Stutt’s withdrawn and vulnerable celebrity, with Sophie Ablett’s seductress, a neat reversal of male and female roles, aggressive courtship rituals and a killer twist. Olivia Ouwehand directed.

In ‘It’s All Relative’, MJ Lee and Serena Tombolini (directed by Rich) wrestled with the love of a gay woman for a straight friend and family member, the almost certainly doomed affair triggered by male bravado, and a desperate need for an escape by a girl trapped in a controlling relationship. Hannah Puddefoot created an intriguing scenario.

After the interval came ‘It Was Just There’ by Nathan Ellis – two ‘straight’ married women Zoe Thorne and Mary Antony discuss the meaning of a hanging red rope, a symbol of their developing feelings for one another. An intriguing and puzzling piece, with beautiful symbolism. Rohan Perumatantri directed.

Emily Warren’s ‘Be Mine for Me’, directed by Francesca Tennant, asks if love can conquer orientation. A girl and a boy. Their love is evident, but not equal. When he rejects her, she begins to put on his clothes. But she cannot change. With an emotive climax, Fox Jackson-Keen and Warren’s powerful chemistry made the piece shine.

Finally came ‘A-Sexual- Being’ by Sophie Ablett. Bea believes in commitment, Alia in open relationships, and reveals her fear over Bea’s asexuality, an important but overlooked issue. James Messer directed Angelina Chudi and Dylan Morris.

The producers recently chatted with us at LondonTheatre1 [Annabelle] “Our aim was to create a scratch night with an overarching story so that the audience felt there was a discussion going on between the different writers. It starts with a one-woman show talking about straight dating and ends with a lesbian mixed race couple talking about asexuality. We covered quite a bit of ground and hopefully got the audience thinking about the plurality of sexuality and identity.”

LT1. Did the creative producer crack the whip, or did shared vision carry the piece? [Emily] – “… for us, being artistic director and creative producer has merged into a single role shared between two people…(an) opportunity to see how we could create a company for a single evening that was close-knit, committed and inventive about how to bring the pieces to life.”

LT1. How did the company form? [Annabelle] “I co-produced my first show with SLAM theatre, Emily was a cast member and she approached me to produce the show she wrote and directed. We both strongly believe in promoting female voices in the work we do, and in trying to be as experimental as possible – we’d like to keep our fingers in all the creative genres, be it film, one woman comedy, naturalism, or absurdist drama.”

LT1. Is ‘female sexuality’ confused with (limited) male expectations of female sexuality? [Emily] “Female artists, particularly of colour, have obviously not been accorded the same platform as white male artists, so naturally, there are fewer authentic and diverse portrayals of female sexuality. It’s also the case that female sexuality is often restricted to depictions of straight relationships, or lesbian relationships firmly filtered through a male gaze… we specifically want to promote stories that place women at their forefront. For us, it’s about showing the light and shades that are found in female sexuality, to remove the stigma behind it and demonstrate its universality.”

A few quick-fire questions… LT1. Can a man be a feminist? [Emily] Yes, just as he can also not be racist.

LT1. Netflix or nightclub? [Annabelle] Netflix, although I love a good dance!  [Emily] Definitely Netflix. 

LT1: Marmite or Bovril? [Annabelle] Nutella! [Emily] Nutella!

LT1. His place or yours? [Annabelle] Depends if you want to kick them out or do a runner!  [Emily] Hers.

LT1: What your plans now? When can we see you again? Volume II is in the works so watch this space! We’ve also got some exciting plans to do with our ‘Girls on Fire’ Season so check out our website http://ift.tt/2oaioIh for more details.

A real treat from a new partnership, movers and shakers in the post-austerity theatrical revival of London’s vibrant fringe scene. Individual and self-contained, these stories all fitted within a narrative arc, the effect was episodic, there was a real sense of an uber-plot linking this pieces, a female sexual odyssey, the stated aim of the night. All this and bums on seats too. It is rare to see a themed night curated this well.

By Laura Thomas

The Female Gaze & Other Stories – Volume I: The Sexual Odyssey. RICH CREATIVE brings you a brand new feminist scratch night with a different theme every time. Volume I: The Sexual Odyssey will showcase stories about sex and desire spanning the sexuality spectrum, focusing on female characters.

This production is part of Girls On Fire: a brand new season about women gaining, losing, and maintaining power in contemporary society. We bring you new pieces from emerging writers about what it means to be female when it comes to sexuality, ethnicity and politics.

Rich Creative is run by emerging artists Annabelle Rich and Emily Warren. Our company aim is to provide a platform for female artists who want to create experimental work. Our latest piece, Modern Love, explored sexual consent between women as a hybrid production combining theatre with film, and received fantastic **** reviews.

http://ift.tt/2oag7wK Facebook: http://ift.tt/2oNuvhI Twitter: @Rich_Creative Instagram: @richcreativeproductions Show taking place at The Cockpit Gateforth Street, London NW8 8EH

http://ift.tt/2oa8AxQ LondonTheatre1.com